WASHINGTON — Politics-obsessed Americans gathered at bars and restaurants Thursday with an excitement normally reserved for the Super Bowl or the World Series, ordering “FBI sandwiches” and morning shots of Russian vodka as James Comey testified about his dealings with President Donald Trump.
Shaw’s Tavern in Washington opened early and attracted a line of waiting customers seeking to watch the former FBI director’s congressional appearance. A special menu was offered for the occasion, including the sandwiches, the vodka and “Covfefe coffee” — a coffee with whipped cream and cinnamon, with a name derived from a recent tweet by the president. The hearing blared on televisions mounted throughout the bar and on the patio.
“This is massive,” said Dani Robillard, 42, of San Francisco, who lined up outside. She said she was in town to officiate a wedding and wanted to watch the hearing with people. Like others in line, she said she did not support Trump.
A look at how people paused from their weekday routines to take in perhaps the most anticipated congressional hearing since the 1970s:
The excitement was palpable at Shaw’s, where many customers said they took time away from work or school because they wanted to watch with a crowd.
“I thought it was a place where I could come and watch with a bunch of liberals,” said Heather Dade, 44.
Todd Shaffer, 55, a commercial real estate agent, predicted that little would get done in the nation’s workplaces.
“No one is working today,” he said.
The crowd grew quiet when the hearing began. Some applauded when Comey said Trump’s administration had spread “lies, plain and simple” and “defamed” him and the FBI.
“When he called the president a liar basically, that was impressive,” said Caitrin McKee, 35, of Silver Spring, Maryland.
The hearing did not attract the same enthusiasm in suburban Atlanta.
In the historic district of Roswell, Georgia, restaurants kept their regular hours, and boutiques took little notice.
“One thing I’ve learned is to stay away from politics, said Karen Stickney, the 61-year-old owner of an antiques shop who explained that while she is “very much Democratic,” most of her customers are not.
Of course, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t found a way to keep up.
“I woke up early today so I could get the pre-testimony talk, to hear all the pundits this morning. I was almost late getting here,” she said.
In Marietta, Georgia, a veteran at the VFW hall said he sympathized with Trump.
Carl Ryan, who served in Vietnam, said he watched “every word” of the Comey testimony and found it to be “nothing but publicity bull––” driven by media and other powers who oppose Trump.
It was standing room only at the Brooklyn coffeehouse Building on Bond, which started showing the hearing beginning at 9 a.m.
Marjorie Sweeney, a freelance writer who lives nearby, had high hopes for Comey’s ability to take down Trump.
“Hopefully, he’ll redeem himself after blowing up the election,” said Sweeney, who supported Bernie Sanders in last year’s Democratic primary and voted for Hillary Clinton in November.
Of Comey, she said, “He’s working a few moves ahead of our soon-to-be impeached chief executive.”
“It’s a weird dynamic that’s taking place right now in the United States.”
The crowd inside the bar applauded as the hearing ended, but many in the liberal crowd conceded there was no game-changing moment.